Today is the day you and your twin are chancing your escape from the Symphonate.
As part of the Blind Chorale, they are allowed to travel outside of the massive, sprawling structure. As their Guide, you travel with them, carrying luggage and guiding them in unfamiliar places.
The Symphonate is loud, and the outside world is so quiet comparitively. The Chorale fills their travels with songs to make up for the lack of echo, but you and your twin have found your sleep interrupted by nighttime noises. The idea thrills and excites you. And was their idea in the first place, of course.
Children born blind are put into the Chorale Nursery, raised with music on the forefront to train their voices into perfection. Your twin can do impressive things with their vocals, almost a one-person choir on their own. You were both told that, since the two of you were conjoined twins, your parents intentionally made you mute in hopes that the two of you would be allowed to stay with them; the scars on your throat prove this true.
Twelve years past birth and twelve years in the choir, this is only your second year the two of you leave the sanctity of the Symphonate. Normally, children as young as eight travel. You and your twin had a cutting-edge surgery, provided by doctors on the outside world, to separate the two of you at that age and it took another year for you two to be well enough to travel.
But without a voice, you are nothing. You know the outside world has writing and other ways for the voiceless to communicate, but in the Symphonate instruments are forbidden - as they steal the voice of the maker - and writing is unknown. So you are Tzane's Guide, and that is your only name.
It was their idea in the first place, your twin; they were the one who told you that the two of you should escape to the outside world. You had a secret language made of touches and squeezes, patterns traced with fingers on the skin. Tactile hieroglyphics allowed the two of you a hundred thousand secrets, and you grew fat on your secret knowledge.
They were your voice, but you were their eyes. So you told them what they looked like - hair that reminded you of rich, wet soil and eyes like fresh milk - and they told you that they had a song just for you that one day, one day, they'd sing to you.
It was forbidden for them to sing songs to you, after all. If they sung in a crowd, to a crowd, and you were in that crowd, that was fine. But to bless a voiceless outcast with a song was to have the two of you separated. The only reason you hadn't yet been cast out was because they were codependent on you, and the happiness of the Blind Chorale mattered more than tradition. Mostly.
You hear their name sung in order, and you guide them to their spot in the line.
"Tzah-neh-el-see-an", the prettiest phrase you've ever heard song.
[[Tzanaelsian]].Tzane went by the first two syllables, for the most part, the hypnotic buzz of the sharpened 'tsa' sound followed by the thoughtful lyric of the 'nay'. They declared that they hated their full name, all melody and song, when it should be softer and quieter like you were.
You had been there for their naming ceremony, and until that day you had dreamed of your own. The two of you, joined near the abdomen with all four hands and arms hugging each other, excitedly watching the Songstress approach you and sing.
She sang of hope and of the blessing of being born blind, the blessing of there being two, the blessing of the future, and named your twin. But then she stepped away.
"Wait," Tzane had called out, confused, "What about my twin?"
The Songstress replied in melody, as she always did. The voiceless received no name, for they were not truly a person. With no voice, how could they assert themselves...?
You felt the cold disappointment settle into your body, but Tzane argued, tried to show the silent language you two shared as proof of a voice. But you two were so very small, children who did not understand, and you were deemed 'a part of Tzane'.
It's stupid, Tzane had said, over and over, turning that phrase into something the two of you could say without speaking. We don't share a mind, they had added, once more turning new words tactile. But your silent language was just shown as proof that you were, in fact, more like Tzane's imaginary friend instead of their twin.
But you ate, separate from Tzane's meals, and needed the same things they did. So the Council of Song brought in doctors from the outside world. The doctors performed strange tests, and one time you managed to glance at a strange picture that showed bone joined together glancingly at your pelvis, barely scraping each other. You heard things about a 'shared liver' and 'untangling blood vessels'.
It wasn't long after that the two of you were given the 'good news'.
[[Separation.]]Tzane balked.
"And what will you do with them then?" they demanded, "You call them voiceless and you'll cast them out, leave them to <i>die!</i>"
(Dramatic as always).
"Don't take them away from me!"
In the end, Tzane's fears were assauged. Perhaps they, naievely, hoped that your personhood would be realized if you moved separately from them. Even after separation, you shared a bed; you saw their face always, held their hand.
And it was you who woke them up and brought them to classes on time. It was you who learned mathematics and musical theory. You couldn't learn how to sing like them, but you learned the history of the Symphonate for them. You gave the answers to their tests, allowing their voice to rise up as you traced answers on their skin.
When the Symphonate grew too loud for them to bear, and they screamed to try and drown it out, you were the one who had your hands over their ears and reminded them they had you. When they were too cold, shivering and teeth chattering even though it was so hot inside, you wrapped your body around them until their shivers went away.
This did not change with your separation. And because Tzane needed you, you were allowed to stay in the Symphonate as their property. Only, you were no longer able to fill out their tests. Still, you told them the answers with fingers and the palm of your hand, remembered everything important, guided them through the Symphonate since, because of you, they had never learned how to master the echoes on their own.
They began to vibrate with freedom. Your twin whispered of it, combed it into your hair, danced it across your arm. The announcement that you would be their Guide and they would at last travel with the Blind Chorale to raise money for the Symphonate only increased their excitement.
First, of course, they demanded your personhood; as all entreaties before, it failed. So they spoke of escape more and more, until it consumed all of their waking thoughts and even you had trouble keeping track of things.
[[The day was here.]]You grasp their hand so tight your knuckles go white. Their breath escapes through their teeth in a hiss and they grasp you back just as tightly. The two of you know nothing of the outside world.
There will be no going back, you tell them with your other hand. I know, they reply back. The two of you sit next to each other, just as inseparable as when you were physically joined. You rest your head on theirs, breathe in their scent of home. Together, you gather courage.
The road to the first stop is bumpy, the town quiet and sleepy. Yet they never fail to give, and they are the closest bit of civilization. From here, you could go any number of roundabout paths. For now, your people trail out, the Blind led by their Guide.
You lead Tzane, as you always have, and they sing for you, half-whispered phrases under their breath.
You have to leave them now. They hold you so tight you lose your breath for a moment, and you wipe away a salty tear. They smile a smile just for you as you arrange them in order and step away.
The Blind Chorale begins to sing. Each member has the voice of an angel. Together, they bring you to heaven.
Deep, somber chants from monks and religions that you have no name for; high, soaring arias that make you understand what freedom tastes like; tender love songs that make you cry though you've never been in love; the sweetest of lullabies that give you a fragment of the idea of what parenthood might be like.
[[What possessed your parents to take your voice away?]]
[[Each song is just as beautiful as the last.]]Misguided optimism, perhaps. The idea that they could keep their children instead of losing them.
They were hopeful, you were sure. They loved you, you know. Yet you'll never know them for their sin, their crime. You could have dreamed, had they never silenced you, that any couple in the Symphonate were your parents.
Instead, you knew they were cast out. You used to dream of rescue. After the naming ceremony, you painted Tzane a story of your parents coming, bringing you home, and the two of you became famous through her voice.
They painted a story in return, about how you made a garden filled with flowers and plants and everyone loved it and that's how you became famous, and your parents were so proud. They love you best, Tzane had written.
[[Because the Symphonate loved your twin best.]]You know today is special, however.
You listen hard, watch harder. Your gaze never leaves Tzane's face and your twin knows you. They look in your direction without seeing you, without truly looking at you, and smile.
The final song begins. It is together, partitioned, together.
And then Tzane begins their solo, beautiful and pure [[like an angel.]] And who wouldn't? The two of you were physically identical, although mirrors revealed your eyes were the soft brown of melting chocolate instead of milk-white. But Tzane was bold and brave and confident and fearless, continually optimistic and hopeful. They were loving and kind.
And, of course, they sang [[like an angel.]]You know they burst.
The song is perfect and flawless, like they practiced over and over again, but they <i>burst</i>.
This is not what they want to sing.
The first thing I'll do for you is sing your name-song, they promised earlier today. You can see it on their lips, hear it in the way their voice trembles.
Their solo ends. The song ends. The Symphonate has a few more coins, a few more seeds, and the Guides lead the Blind Chorale away as the Chorale Council answers questions for the people in town.
Tzane trembles in your hands.
[[Soon]], they say, so <i>soon</i>.
The two of you will escape to the city.The Blind Chorale rambles up the road. The sun has just set by the time you make it. Everyone gets out and stretches. The rooms are arranged, the bathrooms are used, and the Guides eat separately from their Chorale.
To show the best of us, the Symphonate claims.
The one exception is you. Tzane screamed, the first time. They screamed and did not stop screaming and sobbed and yelled and bit and cussed. They screamed until their voice gave out, and they were rendered silent.
The lesson was learned. You two are not to be separated.
Tzane carries on conversations with the other Chorale members at the same time as they trace messages to you.
"I hope the weather is nice for our whole time here," they say to one person as they write I'm glad it's this city we'll escape into.
"Me too," the person replies with a smile that Tzane must hear in their voice. You watch it as you tell them back why's that?
"Although I love the rain. The way it makes everything smell so fresh and clean... the city smells much sharper than the Symphonate," they add as they tell you because there are good people here.
Good people.
[[Someone offered to teach you how to write.]]
[[Someone offered to teach you an instrument.]]No child should be without words, he said gently. He had chalk. Tzane tapped rhythms onto the sidewalk as he taught you ABCDE, the 'alphabet' he called it. He wanted to teach you to spell your name.
The horror on his face when you told him you had no name is something you won't soon forget. But you forged on and learned 'Tzane' instead, T-Z-A-N-E.
It's just a guess, he told you, since the Symphonate's language of song was entirely oral.
When the Chorale Council found you, he yelled at them and said terrible things. You and Tzane were both left trembling, horrified as he tried to steal you away. But maybe that would have been for the best.
The two of you missed three days of Tzane's classes afterwards, recovering from the unexpected aggression towards something the two of you, both ten at the time, found entirely normal.
But really, it was just reinforcing what you already knew was wrong.
As you think, [[the conversation ends]].The flute, he said, would still be your voice. Still be your air. It would just make a melodic noise.
You touched his flute, admired it. He taught you how to make a noise from it. Tzane listened, entranced.
He taught you how to play your first note when the Chorale Council found the two of you, and they were horrified that you'd dare steal someone's voice.
They were kind and gentle with him, bringing wayward children back into the fold, but they sang at you so loudly you were left trembling and even the moon shown too bright for your tired eyes that night. Tzane rarely had to comfort you, but they did that night.
You didn't sleep the rest of the trip, only resting when the two of you were safely back in the Symphonate, and Tzane missed three days of classes as they tended to you.
You're deep in thought as [[the conversation ends]].Food is eaten without you paying attention, muscle memory drawing fork to mouth. The conversation finishes without your participation, and is all the better for your eternal silence.
Tzane would hate that kind of thought, but you don't tell them <i>everything</i>. Even you're entitled to secrets.
They take you to the room you're sharing with other Guides and Blind Chorale members, the two of you settling close together and wrapping your arms around each other.
Remember when they used to be scared we'd choke Tzane asks you with a smile, and you smile back at them and press your forehead hard against theirs.
They fall asleep. You do not. You count breaths, watch for lights, feign sleep, even drift... but do not fall.
Eventually the hour is late, and everyone is breathing evenly. It is dark, with no sign of anyone else. You squeeze your twin's hand and shake them. They wake, quietly, blinking at you. The stars and the moon are your only lights. For them, it is all darkness.
Quiet, you tell them as you stand. You move silently, gathering supplies, and then help Tzane with their shoes. You bring the rations alloted for the two of you and then escape into the night, leaving the place that took you in.
Now the two of you stand outside of it, in the middle of the city. Though lights are rare, there are still people awake, even at this hour. They walk quickly, keeping close together if they know each other or far apart if they don't. The roads are shockingly busy, albeit far emptier than during the day.
Information gathered in piece and portion allows you to recognize three options.
But regardless of what you'll choose, you need a [[shelter for the night]].The problem with this is that you need directions. It means risking to trust some adults who may very well give you right back to the Symphonate. But you tap out your plan to Tzane and they tap back understanding and, taking an unsteady breath, you move deeper into the city.
You see the words here, and it is painstaking recognition that allows you to trace street names. M-A-I-N has no noise - so //strange//, for things to be noiseless - but you know where you are by pacing along it. You go further from shelter and further from the Symphonate both, finding cardinal directions by marking yourself against the sun.
Eventually you deem yourself 'far enough', and you look back and forth. You'll need to ask them, you tell Tzane, I will tell you when.
Tell me what to say, they beg of you, needing guidance, and you agree. Finally you approach a woman, tapping her hand.
"We need to find an orphanage," Tzane says at your guidance, "Please."
The woman looks at you, all sad eyes and sympathy. "Oh, dear," she breathes, "You've lost your family?"
"Yes," Tzane says, adding long ago so only you know it. "My twin and I are all the other has."
The woman nods. "You could come stay with me," she offers.
[[Refuse]]
[[Accept]]You can't trust anyone. The Symphonate has money and power, and adults have a tendency to think kids shouldn't be alone. So you choose to make the alley your base, to stay here, to keep safe.
Tzane sings for money, earning coins by busking. The two of you pick up odd jobs, finding and getting food and money in any way the two of you could. It is a hard life.
But you are free, this way, and safe from the Symphonate if not the other dangers. Other people without a place to go could be cruel or kind. You kneo about a woman who would always share her fire and also about a group of kids who stole from other kids.
They start to know about you, other people do, the two twins who used to belong to the Symphonate. Someone tutors you, teaches you how to write and suddenly you no longer have to rely solely on Tzane to communicate. You are intelligent, picked it up quick.
"You should go to school," they say.
[[But you can't trust that.]]
[[So you start to go.]]You'll have to trust your instincts in this, find someone who seems kind and understanding and unlikely to give you back to the Symphonate.
You're afraid, but this way you will have a home and safety and maybe even a family. Tzane shakes too, but they seem more excited than afraid. That's fine; you were always the anxious one.
You'll have the worry and I'll have the excitement, they tell you, smiling. They can feel their smile and you can see it, and you let out a soft sigh and press your head to theirs.
After a moment of respite, you get up. You head as far away from the Symphonate and where the Chorale was sheltering as you can, using the sun's direction and the symbols - the //letters// - on signs like M-A-I-N until you feel safe enough to approach someone.
You wait, and hesitate, and you tell Tzane that they'll have to speak for both of you. They understand, of course, but beg you to tell them //what// to say - the Symphonate always said they were too dependent on you. It doesn't matter what the Symphonate says anymore, of course; the two of you are about to be free.
The woman you spot looks kind, and you trace out a script for what Tzane should say. Dutifully, they repeat the words.
"Please, ma'am - we've lost our family and don't have a place to stay. Do you know of anywhere we could go?"
You see her hesitate. But she speaks, finally, gentle-soft. "You could stay with me, or I could give you directions to the orphanage," she offers.
[[Follow her to her home]]
[[Go to the orphanage, instead]]Under a bridge, in a different building - anything will do. But you need sleep, and Tzane needs <i>more</i> sleep. You need a spot where you can at least have a temporary base of operations.
You find a safe shelter, huddling between buildings and under refuse that doesn't smell to bad.
"Wait," Tzane says aloud, verbally, "Wait, before you sleep." You blink at them, puzzled, rub their arm so they know you're awake.
"Your //name//," they say, almost impatiently, "You can't expect me to let you go without a name."
You feel hope for the first time, and then a sudden calmness as at last they begin to sing your name-song.
[[It is the most beautiful thing you have ever heard]].The door is opened. A woman with graying hair stands there, and blinks at you.
"We don't have a home or a family," Tzane says without your prompting, "Please."
She hesitates, uncertain, but takes you in. Only after does she allow you two to stay does she
There are chores to do and things to learn. There are people, your age and older and younger, harsh and kind and everything. You soak up knowledge like a sponge, seeking out any and every way to communicate.
Sign language, writing, proper manners, anything that gives you an edge up in a world you expect to be hostile to your voicelessness. And it is hostile, in a way - but for the first time in your lives, Tzane is the one who has a harder time.
Every test is written down. Letters and numbers and sight are required for motion. They try and figure out a cane and demand that why-can't-you-lead-them like you always have and are told that the two of you must be taught independence.
Tzane is fierce and optimistic and unhesitating. They cause trouble, refusing to back down from or compromise with bullies. The younger kids flock to them as a protector, but...
You're a good listener. You keep your head down and learn fast, understanding things that cause teachers to proclaim you 'wise beyond your years'. Kids come to you because of your twin, but they stay because of you. You're good at people, skilled socially, and highly intelligent.
Teachers talk about further education, about you becoming someone great, someone amazing, because your mind is sharp and you remember things so well and so clearly. When you ask about Tzane - because it is Tzane and Elsian, always - they hem and haw and say that they can //come// but they'll never be as great as you are.
It is a strange role reversal and you hate being in the limelight. You're voiceless, you're not a person, you don't matter. And Tzane is happy for you, truly, but they also [[resent you]].Tzane's voice rises like angels, and they sing to you. They sing of guidance, of guardians, of love. Of being attached and of separation, of hope and faith and daylight. Of fear that has been shattered, and hope for the future, and of -
of you.
They give you the part of their name they never liked, and you understand why they never liked it.
Ehl-see-ahn, they sing.
[[Elsian]] was always meant to be //you//.The two of you sleep in darkness and cold, but together you are warm. Tzane and Elsian, two halves of one whole.
The sun wakes you, along with noise and movement. You know that the guardians of the Chorale will be searching for you two - or at the very least, Tzane. You'll have to be careful.
You lay out your options for Tzane, and they tell you to choose.
You could [[seek out an orphanage]], a building made for people without parents. While you aren't sure if your parents are dead, you and Tzane certainly fit the bill.
But the orphanage could have people willing to work with the Symphonate, who might sell you back to them. Perhaps it would be better to [[live on the streets]] as urchins. At least then you'll know you'd be free. And you've already found a good and relatively safe place.
The final and probably riskiest option would be to [[look for some adults to live with]], allies who can educate you and Tzane in the ways of the world outside of the Symphonate.It's too near to the Symphonate and too close to your escape for you to trust it.
That's alright, you tell Tzane, but we think an orphanage is best. We don't know you, after all.
Tzane repeats your words aloud, and the woman sighs and nods her understanding before giving you directions. The roads twist and turn and you struggle to find the letters that should make up 'Orchard' and the standing stone near the large building - but eventually you arrive.
[[It is you who knocks on the door.]]She smiles, all bright and warm, and offers her name.
"I'm Tilly," she says, "What're your names?"
"I'm Tzane and this is Elsian," Tzane says in response, hands on your shoulders. Hearing your name - half of theirs but now yours entirely - sends a little thrill through you.
As you walk, Tilly tells you about her home. A farm on the edge of the city, actually, filled with animals - "I drive my partner crazy with bringing home strays," she admits - and you two were just more strays.
"Course, humans are a bit different than pets," she adds with a wink, smiling, "You two can stay for as long as you want, and leave whenever you'd like too."
Her comfortable chatter reminds you of the good parts of the Symphonate. You relax and let her and Tzane chat, only occasionally telling your twin things or making commentary that makes Tzane laugh.
Tilly asks why she's laughing and Tzane talks about your language. Tilly seems thrilled with the idea and says that the two of you will have to learn sign language together.
[[You have a good feeling about this]].While you walk, the woman talks, filling the walk with noise and explaining things to you.
"I'm Tilly," she says, "What're your names?"
"I'm Tzane and this is Elsian," Tzane says in response, hands on your shoulders. Hearing your name - half of theirs but now yours entirely - sends a little thrill through you.
Tilly tells you about her home. A farm on the edge of the city, actually, filled with animals - "I drive my partner crazy with bringing home strays," she admits - and you two were just more strays.
"Course, humans are a bit different than pets," she adds with a wink, smiling, "You two can stay for as long as you want, and leave whenever you'd like too."
Her comfortable chatter reminds you of the good parts of the Symphonate. You relax and let her and Tzane chat, only occasionally telling your twin things or making commentary that makes Tzane laugh.
Tilly asks why she's laughing and Tzane talks about your language. Tilly seems thrilled with the idea and says that the two of you will have to learn sign language together.
[[You have a good feeling about this]].There is disappointment in her gaze but she nods understandingly and recites out the directions. Tzane repeats them under her direction, although you'll be the one to remember. And you will remember, as you always do.
The roads twist and turn and you struggle to find the letters that should make up 'Orchard' and the standing stone near the large building - but eventually you arrive.
[[It is you who knocks on the door.]] After all, before now, they were always the great one, the favored one. They balk against how easily life in the orphanage comes to you, how easily you're chosen as a hero.
A year passes and they figure out their cane and some days you spend an hour or two apart. Every time you're apart you're always looking for them, worrying about them, feeling your absence as a chill on your side where the scar where they used to be is.
The two of you are thirteen now, and for your birthday you //both// got presents. Tzane cried with joy as you got things //you// liked instead of things they lied about for you. Books, precious treasures, and they recorded a song they wrote and sang just for you. You got them a special grip for their cane, something soft and smooth and more pleasant than the hard handle and the two of you now have matching necklaces that only form a complete picture when together.
Best friend necklaces, the matron of the orphanage had explained with a smile, but fitting for two people who were so close.
You grasp yours as you walk out in the city towards the library, your first excursion 100%-by-yourself. You clasp your library card like it's gold. And then you see a woman stop and do a double-take.
You don't recognize her - you've never seen her before, at the Symphonate or in the city. She isn't even the woman who gave you directions before.
"Tzane?" she calls. When did Tzane meet someone you did not, you wonder. You stop and look directly at her, wait for her to notice the tiny scar on your throat and your brown eyes instead of Tzane's blue-white ones.
"Tzane's twin," she says as she gets close enough to you, smiling, "What are you doing without her? I thought the two of you were inseperable!"
You shrug, writing on your notebook 'I'm going to check out books at the library' and showing it to her. She looks it over, reads it, proves she's not from the Symphonate although it's strange she doesn't know your name, hasn't used it, with how much Tzane //emphasized// it and how important it was.
"Oh, how exciting. What kind of books?" She's all warm smiles, gentleness, "Can I come with you?"
[[Let her come]]
[[Go alone]]You can't imagine the harm. She can read, she has interest, even if you feel a little uneasy surely she's not with the Symphonate. You write out your name, proudly, reminding her - 'I'm Elsian'.
"Of course," she agrees without a beat, "Sorry, I forgot your name. I've only ever met Tzane."
Which proves she's harmless, then. You head to the library with your card, present it proudly to the librarian who laughs and tells you it's for checkout.
'I know,' you write, 'I'm just excited to have it.'
The woman smiles as well, follows you, talks about the books you pick out - fiction and nonfiction, intelligent and with big words and fully encapsulating all that you are capable of. And fun, too, interesting reads that entertain you. Some of the stories you'll pass on to Tzane later, and they'll enjoy every word you trace across their skin.
You leave with a //big// pile of books, and the woman offers to carry some. You hesitate, but then allow her to carry a few. She continues to make light-hearted conversation with you, distracting you just enough that you don't notice until it's too late that there's another woman and three men all-too-close to an alley. You're pushed inside and one of the men holds you down on the ground, binding your wrists.
"Look, the Symphonate wants to pay a pretty penny for Tzane and Elsian," the woman says, "Really, Elsian, you're an incredible person, but we can't let this kind of money pass."
You glare daggers at her and bare your teeth and kick and squirm.
"Just cooperate and get Tzane outside too," she says, "It'll be a whole lot easier then."
Perhaps if they realized that Tzane was the only goal, that they had given you the second half of her name, you could talk to Tzane and ask what they wanted. After all, they were miserable here; perhaps it would be better for her to return to the Symphonate.
But you did not want to go back. You didn't //ever// want to go back.
[[You fight with everything you have.]]Something about this situation is suspicious. You refuse to let her come, and she seems frustrated and tries to follow you anyway. You manage to slip her and make it to the library anyway, where you check out a massive pile of books proudly.
You carry them back, struggling with them, but you make it back to the orphanage and up to your room. You find Tzane, and notice that they're talking with the woman from before.
"The Symphonate needs you," she says with frustration.
"Elsian needs me more," Tzane says in return. You head over and frown at the woman.
You tell Tzane in silence what she did and Tzane screams for the matron and reports what's going on. The matron kicks her out.
You mention that if Tzane wants they could go back to the Symphonate, you'd be okay. But they don't want to, they want to be with you. And it's good, it's really good. You love them.
Another few months pass, and you two meet with a man and a woman who want to adopt you both.
"We figure it will add so much to our lives," the woman says with a smile.
[[Trust them]]
[[Don't]]Eventually you're knocked out, and you come to later next to Tzane. You're trembling and they're crying, their mouth bound shut and their wrists tied too. Despair hits you like a hurricane, nearly bowls you over.
It takes a few days, but at last you arrive at the Symphonate. It's a prison, and you're already suffocating on it. You see money change hands as you and Tzane are lead inside.
You stare blankly ahead. Tzane is fretted over, tears wiped away, worries about the greater world and its corruptions and cruelties. How poorly blind people are treated.
They ask about you, of course, and the Symphonate mentions that you'll be back to serving them since you belong to them.
Tzane screams. "THEIR NAME IS ELSIAN!" they scream, "THEY ARE A PERSON AND MY TWIN AND I GAVE THEM HALF OF MY NAME!"
The shock is loud, but then they start talking about killing you, about returning your name to Tzane, how it was terrible and cruel of you to steal it -
"I'll kill myself," Tzane says, seriously, "Their name is Elsian. They are a person. They didn't steal it, I gave it to them. If you kill them, I'll kill myself."
They fight for you with a fury, for your life, for your freedom, for you to be seen as free.
[[The conversation leads towards you returning to the world.]]
[[You'll return to being Tzane's property, but at least you have a name.]]The three of you arrive eventually at the farm, and you can see a horse and a couple of goats already. Tilly heads inside.
"Miranda," she calls, "I picked up more strays." She's grinning, sheepishly, one hand on Tzane's arm only to let them know that she's there.
An exaggerated groan comes from the kitchen and Miranda - you assume - walks out before stopping, letting out a long sigh.
"Tilly," she says, "Those aren't strays, those are kids." There's a slight scolding note to her voice.
"They need a place to stay," Tilly says insistently, "They don't have much and they don't have anyone or anywhere to go. Come on, surely we can take them in for at least a little?" Her voice is pleading, wheedling.
Miranda pinches the bridge of her nose. "Well, I'm not about to turn away kids. You two hungry?"
You nod as Tzane says "Yeah, I am" and Miranda bustles the two of you into the kitchen and at a table. Tilly adds two more places to the table and Miranda cooks a bit bigger serving.
They ask questions about the two of you and even though you can't talk back they ask about your opinions and address you, directly, even if you have to have Tzane answer for you. Tzane is smiling as big as could be, continuing telling you happy, I'm so happy, look at them!
Slowly, the two of you start to become included. You learn how to write and you and Tzane go to school. At first you two are in the same classes, but you're quickly pushed onto an advanced track. It's hard being away from Tzane, but you like learning and you pick things up so quickly you'd just be bored in Tzane's easier classes.
They get a cane and learn how to navigate by themselves for the first time in their life. Tilly, Miranda, and you all participate in sign language classes.
You two get chores on the farm, start to take care of animals. Tzane can't see but they're still capable of things and they quickly find routine in getting up early to feed the animals. All they need is things placed in the same spot consistently, and it works for them.
You get a library card and head into the city with Tilly a lot to check out books. Nonfiction and fiction alike, and you share stories with Tzane that make them laugh and cry. Tzane sings so much, and they sing for themself and for you. Miranda and Tilly talk about her becoming famous, one day, and they tell you that you'll be some incredible scientist or philosopher or some other genius.
[[Your birthday comes along]]Tilly and Miranda give //you// gifts - not just Tzane, but you too. They give Tzane soft blankets and things they can fidget with and the two of you both get piano lessons. You get books and a paint set (to try it out, of course) and the two of you get a necklace that's split in two, only whole when you two bring the two halves together.
You give Tzane a grip for their cane that's a better texture than the cane itself, and they give you a song specially written and sung for you. The song nestles in your heart with your name-song, blazed in your mind forever.
You are happy, happy, and Tzane is happy too. Tilly and Miranda give you both a home and you do everything you can to repay them. You talk about futures. You write when you can't sign. The two of you plan out colleges and dreams and futures together, always the two of you, always together.
You're out with Tilly in the city one day, shopping for Miranda's birthday, when you hear a "Tzanaelsian?"
You stiffen, and Tilly rests her hand on your back. You and Tzane told Tilly and Miranda of course, and they were angry for the two of you and the way you were both mistreated. To hear your name attached to your twin's, without an and in between...
You don't know the voice, however, or the source of it. A woman stands there with a frown, tilting her head slightly as she looks at you. "Oh, you're the other one," she says, "If you can't speak and you can see."
"What do you want?" Tilly says sharply, pushing you behind her. You go, trembling.
"The Symphonate is paying a pretty penny to whoever returns Tzanaelsian and their twin to them," she says with a shrug.
"You're not taking my kids away," Tilly says, her voice venomous, "The Symphonate can go //choke//. I know what they did to these kids and it was awful."
"You think you can stop me?" the woman sneers. You grab Tilly's hand, trace 'run' on her hand as fast as you can before you start running. She runs with you. Another woman joins the first, and a couple of men pursue the two of you.
Tilly bows her head and holds tight to your hand. You know it slows the both of you down but you can't let go of her. You're so scared. You don't want to leave, not the people you love, and Tzane doesn't want to either.
[[Go towards the alleys]]
[[Go towards the street]]Not for the first time you curse your scar, your silence, your //parents// for leaving you silent and without a voice. You kick and fight and you hear Tilly yelling and screaming.
It gets attention and draws a crowd. You're Symphonate property, the people who have you explain, they say that Tilly stole you and Tzane away and you want to scream.
The way you cling to Tilly, the rumors you begin to learn about the Symphonate, that garners //you// sympathy. The women and men end up in trouble for attempted kidnapping, and Tilly brings you home and you wrap yourself in Tzane and Tilly wraps the both of you in blankets.
[[Your peaceful life is less peaceful.]]The two of you duck into the alleys and lose the people chasing you into a maze.
Tilly gasps for air and you gasp with her, holding her as tight as you can and she holds you back.
"We have to," she gasps out, panting, "We have to let Miranda and Tzane know."
You nod, swallowing harshly, gulping in air and terrified of losing everything you've gained. Of course the Symphonate never stopped looking. You'd grown complacent and safe in your bubble, but... why would they stop looking for Tzane?
"We'll have to let people know, too," Tilly adds, "The authorities. You're both thirteen now, surely they won't force you back. No matter the money the Symphonate offers."
You nod.
Tilly does the talking, of course, but you add a thing or two with either the written word or sign language. She talks to the cops and tells them everything. You clarify and add.
There's horror.
Tilly and Miranda were so good and so kind. Their horror was to be expected. But you hear things about the Symphonate now.
Intentional mutilations. Torture. The way you're not the first or only person to be treated this way. The fact that they intentionally cripple the people they outcast.
Tzane saved your life, you realize. When the two of you were separated, they planned to cast you out into the wilderness like they had to others. But you got lucky because they needed you and loved you and couldn't be without you.
[[Your peaceful life is less peaceful.]]The women and another man stand there. You're cornered, your hand ripped away from Tilly's and you fight and kick frantically, biting at them even as you desperately try to get away.
[[You'd scream if you could.]]Strangers guard you, now. But you realize the goodness of people.
You stop leaving the house without Tzane and the two of you stay close together always. You only recently started sleeping in separate beds, but now you're back to sharing a bed. You trace your scar and wish you were conjoined with them still but -
You do better apart. They know it and you know it. You're two different people and even though your lives will always be entertwined you can follow the paths you need to.
Tzane sings less, only soft quiet songs to you. Sometimes Tilly and Miranda can coax a song from them, but they don't want anyone from the Symphonate to ever hold their songs.
I kept them in for so long, they trace on your skin in your secret language, I wrote a million and a hundred and a thousand all for you because the Symphonate doesn't get anything from me.
You're forced into the spotlight, you and Tzane both, and it brings attention on the Symphonate. Bad attention, the kind that has people scowling. Still, you miss your quiet and your isolation. You don't want attention, you don't like having people pay attention to you.
One day a man with a limp and a cane comes to the house. He's patient and he goes through each step and you watch him carefully as he explains a story you're too far away to hear.
Eventually, Miranda comes to you.
"There's a man who says he's your father," she says with a frown, "He's waiting, he's said it over and over again."
You sign that he made you mute as you tremble. Tzane holds their breath.
"Yeah," Miranda says softly.
You sign that you want to meet him, anyway.
So Miranda leads the two of you out to him, and he breaks into tears as he looks at you.
"You were, you're not, they did," he blubbers through his tears. He doesn't come close, he keeps his distance, but he drops to his knees. "//Tzane//. //Elsian//. They - they gave you both names..."
"They didn't," Tzane said, "Just me. I split my name in two so they could have a name too."
He nods. "Of course," he murmurs, "Of course, of course. They never would. I..." He gathers himself. "It is good to see you. To see you separate, I..." His gaze turns to you. "//Elsian//," he breathes in a broken breath, "I'm so sorry."
[[He tells you the story]].Your mother didn't want to lose you two. She feared what the Symphonate would do to conjoined twins.
She was right to fear. They wanted to kill you, remove you so only Tzane would live. So she made a deal. She would silence you so you could be Tzane's servant, a non-entity, and you would live.
Your father wanted to sneak away in the middle of the night, but she wanted to stay in the Symphonate. In the end, it didn't matter; the two of them suffered exile for their sins. She had her voice taken from her, and his legs were broken and mangled. He thought they'd die in the wilderness, but...
Someone found them.
In the end, your mother died, her wound growing infected. But he lived with his guilt and regret, moving to this city. He didn't know it would be better or worse if he saw you two, so he avoided the Symphonate.
And now you're here.
"You'd have a home with me," he offers, "Though it isn't much of one. As long as you're happy, wherever you're happy, even if you never want to see me again... That's all that matters. Seeing you again... it's better than I could ever dream."
Tzane waits for you to decide.
[[Go with him]]
[[Stay but ask for him to visit]]
[[You never want to see him again]]
[[There's another option, actually...]]He's your father. Your real father.
He has a tiny apartment but there's room enough for you and Tzane to tangle together in the same bed.
He makes sure the two of you continue your education, become more than you were before.
The Symphonate can't take you away from him, not anymore. Law is on his side and the world is against them. Eventually they stop trying.
You're happy. So is Tzane.
Years from now you'll be off at college. They'll sing their songs to the world, coming home to you. The two of you will find people to live, maybe have children of your own. You'll have your life of intellectual pursuit and they'll have their songs and you'll have each other.
A happy life. A safe life.
Everything you wanted, free of the Symphonate and able to grow into yourselves and everything the two of you were always meant to be.
[[The End]]He smiles.
"That's better than I expected," he tells you. He awkwardly opens his arms. "A... hug?"
You hug him, and Tzane does too.
He learns about the two of you, learns about Tilly and Miranda too. He becomes a friend, a companion, someone beloved.
Tzane is happy to sit with him as he reads to them, his voice soft and soothing and filling them up in a way your silence never can. But he takes an interest in you, too, encourages your learning and every interest you have.
Years from now, you'll go to college. Tzane will sing their songs for the world. The two of you will find people to love, maybe have kids. Your father will cry over the birth of his first grandchild, will defend the two of you from broken hearts.
Tilly and Miranda will put an expansion onto their house for your families, and you'll inherit their farm with the time comes. The Symphonate will stop searching for you, will stop trying to take Tzane, and retreat into quiet isolationism since the world is against them.
The two of you are happy and free.
[[The End]]He muted you, silenced you - or let your mother do it. Same difference. He didn't attempt to take you two away.
He nods, although there is sadness in his gaze. "I understand," he says, "I love you both." And he walks away, leaving you alone.
Tzane hugs you, and you finally stop shaking as you turn to them, wrapping your arms around them and folding yourself against them in the way you spent the first eight years of your life.
But eventually the battle against the Symphonate ends. They stop trying to get Tzane back and the two of you are able to live your peaceful lives with Tilly and Miranda.
Years from now, you'll go to college. Tzane's voice will be known by the entire world, their songs shared but always belonging to them. The two of you will find other people to love and maybe you'll have kids. Tilly and Miranda will expand the farm so you can live their with your families, and a sad day will come when you inherit it.
Most importantly, you two are free and //together//.
[[The End]] If Tilly and Miranda are okay with it, he could stay with you.
You bring up the idea to all four of them together. There's discussions. It takes a couple of weeks, but eventually he has a room in your house and you see him all the time.
He reads to Tzane in his soothing voice, fills them up with something they hadn't realized they'd been missing. He learns sign language for you, spends time learning about what you like and love.
Tilly and Miranda start to adjust to him being there, too. Soon 'family trips' consist of five instead of four and sometimes you find him in bed with the two women, wracked by his own nightmares and soothed by friends.
Years from now, you'll head to college. Tzane's voice will light up the world. The two of you will find people to love, maybe have kids. Your father will cry at the birth of his first grandchild. The farm will get more rooms, more buildings, to fit all the strays and the families that start to build it up. Other people from the Symphonate will find shelter and redemption there, will start to repair themselves.
You and Tzane will have each other, of course, and you'll have your family and all of the people you love. Everything is good.
[[The End]]Thank you for playing!
This is a story with very minimal branching out. It's basically a proof-of-concept, a way to get me used to writing in Twine and also to be another finished game.
What ending did you get? Was it a good one?
Do you want to try and face [[The Symphonate]] again?
As for Tzane and Elsian...
I personally consider them agender, but you can consider them whatever gender you'd like. I could have coded in pronouns (it's fairly simple and just requires the same number of variables as pronouns, and once you get 2 options it's easy to expand to more) but I felt like it would have taken away from the writing style of the story.
Their names are supposed to be gender-neutral, although I feel like 'Tzane' is a bit more feminine and 'Elsian' is a bit more masculine. Whatever, it's made-up names, it's fine.
The time period can be whatever period you want. Modern, medieval (albeit requiring a fantasy bend), scifi... I tried to keep it super vague so it could be adaptable. Believe me, writing to avoid mentioning transportation or specific buildings or things that would be very modern concepts was... not always easy.
I hope you enjoyed! If you really liked it, why not support me on <a href="https://www.patreon.com/kunabee">my patreon</a>? Fair warning that it's empty and still under construction, I am a Disaster of a person... xD
I hope to make more games soon!Tzane hates it, but it's the best they can do for you. And you did so well out in the greater world. They'll be fine here, they'll be fine on their own.
It tears you in two as you leave them behind. It tears you in two as the doors to the Symphonate close to you forever. You stand there and stare for hours before finally heading to the nearest town.
You're taken care of, tended to, and eventually make your way back to the city. You find your teachers.
You lose your spark. You are missing a key piece of yourself, your other half, the person you love more than anything else. But eventually the Blind Chorale from the Symphonate comes to the town and Tzane is there, singing, with another assistant helping them.
The two of you hold tight, reunite, spend hours together in your silent tactile conversation. They tell you about their assistant, about their songs, about how they wrote you a hundred songs and they sing you these songs quietly.
You tell them about the things you learn, about the world beyond those pearly doors, about life without them. That's what it is, life without them, and it is a half-life.
But the two of you are watched. The Symphonate will never let Tzane out of its grasp, they will never be able to live with you again. Maybe it's for the better, you think desperately, because you //have// to hope for something. You have to think that. The Symphonate values Tzane's blindness; the rest of the world thinks it lessens them. You know what it's like to be //lesser// because of things outside of your control.
So you count your days, arrange your schedules around when you'll see them, when Tzane will come, will be there, when you can have hours and days with them, and live a life that doesn't feel complete.
[[The End]]It's a pale comfort.
The two of you are watched like hawks. Tzane doesn't sing outside of the Chorale at all now. Their passion and love for song withers and you wither, too.
You used to be able to communicate. To write, to sign. Once more Tzane is your voice, and all the Symphonate cares about is them. You are an afterthought, something small.
And escape is impossible with the way they watch you, the way they keep you, the way they hover. You'll never be able to leave.
I'm so sorry Tzane tells you as they cry all your wasted potential, I'm so sorry, you deserved so much better.
And maybe you did, but it's fine. You have them. It'll be fine as long as you have them.
[[The End]]You and Tzane had dreams of what parents would be like for so long you don't even hesitate, you can't.
You're adopted that day, brought to their home. After a night there, then and only then do they explain why they //really// adopted you.
The Symphonate will pay well for Tzane. The two of them are in terrible debt.
You wonder why nobody noticed this, why people you trusted //failed// you. But these two, they talk to you. They're gentle.
They give you options, even if they're terrible.
[[You both return to the Symphonate.]]
[[You stay with them and only Tzane returns.]]You tell the matron your worries about the Symphonate, and how they're apparently paying a lot for Tzane's return.
The matron looks into it.
Your suspicions are well-founded. The couple have ties to the Symphonate and a heavy debt.
But that's the last of anyone trying to bring you and Tzane back to the Symphonate. The two of you grow up.
They rely on you, lean on you like they always have. They sing, performing in the street sometimes to earn money. You go to college, work hard, make a life for the two of you.
You fit together, two puzzle pieces, and live happily and simply. Most importantly, you're together and free to make your own destinies.
[[The End]]It's a pale comfort to have a name.
The two of you are watched like hawks. Tzane doesn't sing outside of the Chorale at all now. Their passion and love for song withers and you wither, too.
You used to be able to communicate. To write, to sign. Once more Tzane is your voice, and all the Symphonate cares about is them. You are an afterthought, something small.
And escape is impossible with the way they watch you, the way they keep you, the way they hover. You'll never be able to leave.
I'm so sorry Tzane tells you as they cry all your wasted potential, I'm so sorry, you deserved so much better.
And maybe you did, but it's fine. You have them. It'll be fine as long as you have them.
[[The End]]It tears you in two to see Tzane leave, but they decided it was best for both of you if they left.
I'll be happier with the Symphonate they said and you'd be miserable so it's better than just I go.
And maybe, but that doesn't make it easier. Their visits come with gaps of a year, two years, more, and it's not enough. It's not enough when your life was entirely oriented around them.
It still is, your schedules and plans arranged so you can have as much time with them as possible even as you live your life.
The man and woman are kind and even gentle. They care about you and give you everything you need. You don't ask how they got in debt and they don't push you or pressure you or expect anything from you.
You want Tzane but you only get them for brief periods of time. They tell you about their life, they sing all the songs they had to bite back to you. The two of you are watched carefully, the Symphonate ensuring that they'll never escape again.
They have another assistant, another guide, someone with a sweet voice who volunteered for this. Tzane wouldn't accept anyone else; if they couldn't have you they weren't going to let someone else go through that torture. They advocated for the voiceless to be turned out into the world.
You live your life, or at least try to, but without Tzane there's always something missing.
[[The End]]You can't trust it. You've been burnt too many times. They're disappointed, but they understand.
You and Tzane grow up. You're capable and smart and manage to make your way college, to earning a lot of money. You buy a large house and open a revolving door.
Tzane sings and the whole world begins to hear their songs, the things that were inside of them. They blossom into what they could have become.
Other people from the Symphonate find shelter in your home. Other people with hard lives, regardless of where they're from, find shelter there. You pass on the kindnesses given to you.
And with Tzane, the two of you do everything you've ever wanted.
[[The End]]So you stay with Tzane all the time, refuse to go to school. You even find a part-time job with minimal fudging of your age, get to know people there.
Tzane is the social butterfly, the person people love to listen to. But you are a good listener, and between the two of you you earn a good rapport with everyone there.
Tzane sings up on a stage while you serve people. And after they perform, you talk with people.
"You know," one man muses softly, "You two remind me of my children. I was separated from them when they were still babies, but they were conjoined twins. One blind, one mute."
He sighs, a sad smile on his face. "I hope they're happy where they are. I wish I could return to them, take them away from that place..."
"The Symphonate?" Tzane asks, trembling almost as much as you are. You can feel your heart in your through and image they feel much the same.
He looks at her in surprise. "Why, yes. They're with the Symphonate, how did you know?"
"We used to be conjoined," Tzane says. You raise your shirt and pull down your pants a little to reveal the scar for emphasis. "We're from the Symphonate. We were told our parents made Elsian mute so they wouldn't take us away from them."
He sucks in a deep breath, and then [[tells you the real story]].
Tzane goes, too. They don't do as well at school as you do, but you flourish there. It eats into time when you could be earning money so you can't go every day, but people start to take an interest in the both of you, start to worry about you.
Soon you have someone who watches your stuff while the two of you are at school, and another person who always knows where there were places you two could clean up at, and someone else who makes sure you always had something to eat.
You, in turn, do favors for the people around you, passing along kindness. You garner a reputation as someone reliable and sturdy. Tzane is brave and stubborn, a fierce defender of others. Together the two of you make friends and allies.
You are happy.
And then, one day, a couple approaches you, a man and a woman.
"We want kids," the man says, "You two don't have any place to stay, right? So stay with us."
[[Trust them]]
[[Refuse them]]Your mother didn't want to lose you two. She feared what the Symphonate would do to conjoined twins.
She was right to fear. They wanted to kill you, remove you so only Tzane would live. So she made a deal. She would silence you so you could be Tzane's servant, a non-entity, and you would live.
Your father wanted to sneak away in the middle of the night, but she wanted to stay in the Symphonate. In the end, it didn't matter; the two of them suffered exile for their sins. She had her voice taken from her, and his legs were broken and mangled. He thought they'd die in the wilderness, but...
Someone found them.
In the end, your mother died, her wound growing infected. But he lived with his guilt and regret, moving to this city. He didn't know it would be better or worse if he saw you two, so he avoided the Blind Chorale when it came to the city.
And now the two of you are here, in front of him. And he's in front of you.
"Stay with me," he begs softly, "I can give you a good life. At least something. But I..." He swallows. "I understand if you can't forgive me. What happened to you two is unforgivable."
[[Go with him]]
[[Stay where you are]]You're fine. The two of you are capable, and you take care of yourselves just fine.
"I understand," he says.
He doesn't bother you, but allows you two to approach him on your own terms. He leaves an open dialogue. It hurts him to not be with you, to not go to you, but he lets you determine how your relationship forms.
You and Tzane grow up. The two of you manage to fend for yourselves just fine, living miserly and well. They sing. You work. You find joy in your lives.
Most importantly, you're free. You always have each other, the two of you against the world, and the Symphonate will never touch you.
[[The End]]